Israel considering US firm for biometric screening of Palestinians in Gaza

 Israeli war cabinet discusses proposals for security firm, describing itself as 'Uber for war zones', to securitise aid

Palestinians carry their belongings as they are forced to flee areas north of Gaza City on 12 October 2024 (AFP/Omar al-Qattaa)

By MEE staff

Published date: 22 October 2024 12:56 BST | Last update: 2 days 7 hours ago

Israel is considering a plan to deploy private US logistics and security companies to create a "gated community" in Gaza where Palestinians would be subjected to biometric screenings to receive aid, according to media reports. 

Drop Site News reported on Monday, citing Israeli media, that Israel's war cabinet discussed the proposals on Sunday, and was set to approve a "pilot" programme within the next two months. 

According to Israeli news outlet Ynet, Global Delivery Company (GDC), which is run by Israeli-American businessman Mordechai Kahana, is in talks with the Israeli government to run the programme. 

Israel has long discussed the idea of so-called "humanitarian bubbles" in northern Gaza, in which it would allow aid into an area if it deemed there was no presence of fighters. 

Large parts of northern Gaza, in particular the Jabalia refugee camp, have been under a total siege over the past 17 days, with Israeli forces not allowing any food, clean water and medical supplies to enter. 

In January, the International Court of Justice delivered an interim ruling ordering Israel to take immediate measures to enable urgent basic services and humanitarian assistance into Gaza.

Israel has been accused of repeatedly violating the order since then. 

It is not clear if the Israeli government is considering other private security firms, or only GDC's proposal. 

A US private security firm would need approval from the Senate to offer armed services to the Israeli government. 

'Uber for war zones'

Kahana has described his for-profit business as "Uber for war zones", and said that it has operated in five wars in the past 14 years, in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Ukraine and Gaza. 

"Personnel working for our security sub-contractor are trained and equipped for non-lethal and lethal methods of crowd control. They are trained to use deadly force only as a last resort if their lives are in danger," GDC said in a press release on Monday evening.

Stuart Seldowitz, a former US official who was charged with a hate crime after abusing a street food vendor, was a senior humanitarian diplomacy consultant for GDC. 

While GDC has cut ties with Seldowitz, Kahana told Drop Site News that he was open to working with the former official in Gaza. 

Kahana himself has made several inflammatory comments, including in November calling Palestinian-American lawmaker Rashida Tlaib Hamas's "ambassador to the US". 

He has also joked about ethnically cleansing Palestinians in Gaza and moving them to Jordan. 

GDC's operatives include former high rank Israeli military officers and former American military and intelligence operatives. 

In May, multiple media reports indicated that Israel was in talks with US security firms about managing the Rafah crossing, between Gaza and Egypt, which Israeli forces have seized control over. 

Days after the reports, Kahana wrote on social media that he would be "assisting with humanitarian supplies" in Gaza, suggesting GDC may be involved in managing the crossing. 

Israeli settler leader Daniella Weiss says Palestinians will 'disappear' from Gaza

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At least 42,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza since the war began in October last year, with thousands more missing and presumed dead. More than 99,000 others have been wounded during that time.

MEE reported that during a conference near Gaza on Sunday, an Israeli settler leader said Palestinians would "disappear" from the territory. 

"We came here with one clear purpose: the purpose is to settle the entire Gaza Strip, not just part of it, not just a few settlements, the entire Gaza Strip from north to south,' said Daniella Weiss.

Weiss, the leader of Nachala, an orthodox settler movement which organised the conference, said there were six settler groups and more than 700 families looking to settle in Gaza. 

The conference was attended by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Knesset members from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party

"As a result of the brutal massacre of the 7th October, the Gaza Arabs lost the right to be here ever, so they will go to the different countries of the world. They will not stay here," said Weiss. 

She said that settlers who moved to Gaza would "witness how Jews go to Gaza and Arabs disappear from Gaza".

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-considering-us-firm-biometric-screening-palestinians-gaza